Road Rage
by beccatt
Summary: Set during the beginning of Bloodlines and going AU from there. Damon has come to Elena's rescue when an undead hit team is out to kill her. How safe will Elena be with Damon as her bodyguard? And how safe does she want to be? Damon/Elena pairing.
1. Chapter 1

Road Rage  
By Bellarase

Summary: Set during the beginning of Bloodlines and going AU from there. How safe will Elena be with Damon as her savior? And how safe does she want to be?

A/N- This is my first attempt at writing for Vampire Diaries and I'm a relatively new fan, so if something is off, please let me know! Also I do not have a beta so all mistakes are mine. :)  
I do not own Vampire Diaries, I just like to play a bit.

Chapter 1

Pain.

Never before had Elena felt such jarring agony as what she was currently experiencing. The surreal cloud cushioning her brain from the accident was fading away to be replaced by stone cold, sobering reality.

She'd crashed.

No, worse than that. She'd hit a man – and then she had crashed. He had slammed into her windshield and her car had flipped and was now resting upside down, her seatbelt the only thing keeping her secured in the vehicle.

Oh God, she'd hit somebody with her car...

Her eyes widened and flew past the fractured glass that used to be her car window and locked onto the still form lying in the middle of the road, her breath hitching at the damning sight of the unnatural angles of his limbs and broken body where he'd come to rest on the road. He was dressed all in black and Elena couldn't help but think that how appropriate it was that he was already wearing the colors of death.

Despair flooded her – she killed a man. Elena tried frantically to remember the seconds leading up the accident and while the details were fuzzy, she knew she had been distracted and hadn't given her full attention to the road. And there he'd been...

And now there he was - a crumpled corpse marring the pavement.

Suddenly the night's revelation that she looked like Katherine managed to pale in comparison given her current circumstances.

But... maybe he wasn't dead. Maybe he was just only... seriously injured? Elena knew she had to get out and see, her fingers clawing for the seatbelt release. Ignoring her own pain, she fought to get free, giving a growl of frustration at the unyielding safety device. Every second could be the matter of life and death and Elena was desperate to reach her unintended victim.

Sparing a glance out the fractured window, Elena heart skipped a beat when she thought she witnessed movement. Even from the distance, she could have sworn she saw a limb twitch - but then it twitched again and she was filled with a sense of profound relief. Twitching limbs meant he was still alive – she so needed him to be alive. Involuntary manslaughter was absolutely not in her immediate plans for the future.

The seat belt still remained an unyielding beast and another growl of frustration passed her lips. Time was of the essence and Elena tried to come up with a plan B.

Her phone!

It had been tightly gripped in her hand just seconds before impact, the pleading apology of Stefan forever burned into her memory. It was what had pulled her attention from the road, and she added that as yet one more grievance against the vampire she'd just given herself to. Telling herself she needed to focus, Elena knew she needed to find her phone and call 911. She looked around frantically and gave a sigh of relief when she found it not too far from where she hung upside down in the crushed vehicle.

With shaky fingers, Elena dialed 911 and hit 'send', sparing another quick look at the man in the road.

"911, what's your emergency?" came the professional greeting.

But Elena found herself unable to voice a response, her eyes widening with horror as her fingers dropped the phone. The man she'd hit with her car was no longer just twitching.

He was moving; his fractured limbs twisting and audibly snapping back into place with a sickening crunch. And then he found his way to his feet, adjusting his broken bones in a way that left Elena with little doubt that he wasn't human. This was so not good.

She quickly became very aware of the blood dripping down her face to pool beneath her, and knew that its scent would ensure that she would most likely not come out of this with her life intact. Her fingers clawed again at the seat belt, even though she knew it was useless. There was no way she could out run the monster stalking towards her, especially not in her current condition. But she also knew that she couldn't just remain a sitting duck, trapped in her car - the epitome of an easy target.

"911, what's your emergency?" a voice said more forcefully and Elena realized she was still on the line with emergency services.

"Help," she whispered hoarsely, hoping they could hear her. She knew it would probably be too late to save her but she owed Jenna and Jeremy some sort of closure, and at the very least, needed to know where her vehicle had crashed.

A pair of heavy black work boots suddenly appeared in her line of vision and Elena shrieked, watching as the hooded figure bent down to peer into the broken window. She couldn't quite make out of his face but the moon that reflected off of the evil glint of his smile didn't lend much to her state of mind.

She was in so much trouble.

"Well, well, what have we here?" he said in smoothly sinister voice that sent a chill through Elena. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that it wasn't polite to run over strangers?"

She was in some serious shit and she knew it. Yet one more thing to blame on Stefan, she thought a bit irrationally. Her breath was coming in deep rasps as she waited for what she hoped would be a quick death.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling more vulnerable than she'd ever felt in her entire life. She'd been knocked unconscious when her parents car had slammed into the water during the accident that had taken their lives, still not knowing how she'd managed to escape. It was assumed that she'd had some amnesia regarding the accident but Elena had often wondered.

This was so not good.

The sinister smile deepened and the vampire reached out to trace a lazy finger across the trail of blood pouring down her face from the laceration on her temple. Elena watched in terror as he brought the digit to his mouth and dramatically sucked on it, closing his eyes and sighing in apparent ecstasy before regarding her once more.

"Why... I do believe you will be sorry," he threatened, drawing his hood back so Elena had a full view of his feautres. The bloodshot eyes and the pronounced veins along his face did not come as a surprise to her, already having come to the conclusion that she had hit a vampire.

And a pissed off vampire, at that.

Elena could feel her heart racing and cursed the series of events. What had started off as a perfect night with Stefan had quickly escalated into something beyond her worst nightmares. And just when she'd started to think that betrayal was the worst thing that could happen to her...

Boy, had she ever been foolish.

"I'm sorry I hit you," Elena stuttered, knowing that it wouldn't help the situation but not knowing what else to say.

"Well," the vampire grinned," I guess I can't really blame you since I was standing in the road waiting for you to hit me."

"Why?" Elena couldn't help but ask.

The vampire's face darkened. "Because you look like her, that's why," he growled.

Elena sighed. At least she knew who 'her' was now, no thanks to one Stefan Salvatore. "You mean... Katherine?" she bit out, her fear escalating to a whole new level.

"Don't you speak her name! You're not fit to speak her name!" the vampire hissed, his eyes burning into hers in sudden fury. The saying 'if looks could kill' suddenly took on a whole new meaning.

"I'm sorry," she quickly said, mentally slapping herself for provoking his ire.

" Oh, you're going to be sorry," he ground out, reaching into the car and snapping her seatbelt as if it was made of paper rather than industrial strength polyester. He grabbed her by the throat and dragged her out of the car.

Elena screamed as the pain of the attack overwhelmed her, the broken glass digging into her skin as she was dragged out of the drivers seat.

"Why are you doing this?" she bit out, her hands clawing at the hand that held her like a steel vice.

"I told you," the vampire replied coldly, not loosening his grip. "Because you look like her and Stefan has feelings for you. The pain of losing you will be just the tip of the iceberg in what I have planned for him. I will see him destroyed. Foolishly, he didn't brand you as his – that was one of his many mistakes. You have him to thank for your death – if he'd only taken the time to make sure you were protected, I wouldn't have been able to touch you. Goody for me that he was so remiss."

Air was becoming something precious as Elena tried desperately to inhale, still fighting with the hand that held her so effortlessly. Dark spots began dancing around the periphery of her vision and she knew the end was close.

"Please don't do this!" Elena rasped, knowing it was an exercise in futility. The hand around her throat refused to let up and she continued to struggle to draw air in her lungs.

"Oh, I will enjoy doing this," her captor commented with a sinister smile. He looked every bit the predator that he was. Cold and ruthless. The face of a killer. "You never know – maybe you'll even like it. Vampire bites can be... erotic."

One last burst of strength and Elena struggled in his grasp, her fingernails breaking off against the undead flesh beneath them. "No!"

"Yes." He relaxed his hand and Elena drew gulps of air as the pressure against her throat was loosened. Her relief was short-lived as her hair was grabbed and her head wrenched to the side, exposing her throat to the monster holding her captive. She could feel the tepid breath against her sensitive skin as she was sniffed, knowing her pounding jugular was like a welcoming beacon in a foggy night. She hissed in pain as a sharp canine was drawn across her skin, wondering how long this monster intended on toying with her before finally ripping her throat out. Elena closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable, that last bit of searing pain before hopeful oblivion.

It never came.

In the blink of an eye, Elena found herself tumbling to the ground, the viselike grip of the vampire no longer holding her captive and it took her a moment to realize what had happened. In the dim illumination of her broken headlights, Elena saw the vampire who'd been seconds away from killing her being pummeled by another being. It was clearly evident that the newcomer was superiorly stronger and his attack was brutal and bloody.

Stefan had come to save her.

And boy, he was angry.

Elena's emotions were mixed as she valiantly fought off the oblivion that was beckoning to her. Being snatched from death's door was a heady experience and the adrenaline that had flowed through her had suddenly slowed to a trickle. Every part of her body ached and she tried to fight off the dizziness that continued its pursuit on her consciousness, trying desperately to process what was happening in front of her.

A savage roar filled the night air and Elena saw the head of the vampire she'd struck go flying. On a normal day, that sight alone would have pushed her over the edge. Tonight, however, it failed to impress as she continued to lay where she'd fallen moments ago.

Elena waited for Stefan to approach her, knowing she owed him her life. But as her savior stepped into the muted beam of the headlight, Elena realized she made an error.

It wasn't Stefan.

It was Damon.

And the implications of the fact that she was lying on the ground bleeding, injured, and without her vervain necklace were not lost on her.

But unconsciousness refused to be denied and unbidden, Elena found herself slipping into the dark oblivion, leaving her entire fate and existence at the hands of ruthless killer.

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

A/N - thank you sooo much for the reviews on this fic!! And thank you to Sortoflovely who pointed out that I was spelling Stefan wrong. DOH! Total rookie mistake and my apologies. I know how annoying that can be and I went and corrected it in my first chapter. When i say I'm a new fan - I mean I'm a brand spanking new fan of about a week, so I don't have the fandom down yet. Please bare with me and continue to point out my inconsistencies. Since I haven't read much fan fic in this fandom, if I'm stepping on someone else's plot line, please let me know! Again not beta'd, so even more apologies for that.

Chapter 2

Damon sat in a chair in the corner of the run down hotel room, his entire focus on the girl laying unconscious in the king size bed that took up a good portion of the room. She wasn't waking up and Damon found himself unable to leave her side.

The overwhelming anger that had flooded him when he saw Elena about to be snacked on had surprised him. Ripping out a human's throat was something he'd done thousands of times before, yet tonight it was different.

It had been her.

Elena.

He growled to himself in annoyance. He didn't want this. This was history repeating itself all over again and he had no intentions of traveling down that path again. Ever. Yet... here he was. So history was repeating itself regardless of his willingness.

Just before Elena had slumped unconscious, it hadn't passed his notice the look of profound relief on her face that had quickly dissolved into fear when she recognized him. She had obviously mistaken him for Stefan.

He didn't want to admit how much that had bothered him, seeing that look of fear when she looked at him. But then again, evil vampire. Being trust worthy wasn't something he had ever really cared about or wanted. He sighed again, cursing this existence that allowed him to hold a mere human in such high regard. He had things to do, witches to see, vampires to save. He didn't have time for this.

But he was here with her now, not his annoyingly moral brother. A satisfied smile played along his lips.

This could be fun.

* * *

It was like swimming through a dense fog as Elena struggled to consciousness.

Make that a painful fog.

A low groan left her lips involuntarily as pain stabbed her entire body. Sinking back into oblivion held a definite appeal but Elena pushed through it and forced her eyes to open. Where was she? The memory of her last waking moments flooded her and her eyes flew open of their own accord.

Car crash. Vampire. Ouchy glass cutting into her skin. Strangled.

Damon.

It took a moment to get her bearings as she realized she was lying in a bed. And that she didn't appear to be dead.

"Morning, Sunshine," a lazy voice drawled from the corner of the room.

Elena regretted jerking her head to the side as pain trumpeted through her temples and she was forced to swallow the accompanying nausea. It didn't surprise her to see Damon lounging in an ugly arm chair in the corner of the room.

"Where are we?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Well, hello to you too, Sunshine."

"No, really, Damon. Where are we?" her voice cracked and she wished desperately for a drink of water. Being almost strangled wasn't the most pleasant experience in the world and her throat hurt.

As if reading her mind, Damon made his way to his feet and brought her an opened bottle of water that he'd procured from the vending machine down the hall. With shaking hands, Elena grabbed it from his hands and struggled to sit up, finally allowing him to assist her when it became clear that she had a long way to go in the healing department. Greedily, Elena brought the bottle to her lips and drank deeply.

"I wouldn't drink too fast," Damon cautioned. " I'd hate to have to call housekeeping because you spewed all over the bed. I have a particular weakness for housekeeping staff – room service doesn't get much better than that, I'll have you know."

That comment served to wake Elena up better than any liquid refreshment could. That chilling reminder that this wasn't Stefan she was here with. Damon didn't hold human life in any regard whatsoever. Yet... the fact that she was still alive made her hopeful.

"Where are we, Damon?" she repeated, needing to know.

"Well, this is a place that I like to call... the middle of nowhere," came the unsatisfying reply. "Not that it really concerns you."

"Damon," she growled, annoyance flashing in her eyes.

"Elena," he mocked in a sing song voice. "Really, don't you know how the damsel in distress gig works? I save you and you are supposed to be appreciative. And I have to tell you – I'm not really feeling the love here. A little thank you couldn't hurt, now could it? I did, after all, save your life."

"Thank you," Elena bit out, scooting herself up further in bed and appreciating the fact that her nausea didn't seem to regret the movement.

"Now, was that so hard? You're quite welcome, Miss. Gilbert."

"Now could you please just tell me where we are?"

Damon shook in head in a mocking manner. "Broken record, Elena. Really. Not an attractive trait. But since you've been sleeping the sleep of the knocked unconscious, I'll help you out here. We're half way to Georgia."

"Georgia?"

"If you're going repeat everything, this could get a little tedious. Yes, Georgia. The peach state. Home of the Atlanta Braves. You know, Georgia"

Elena gave a little shake of her head. "Why are we halfway to Georgia?"

Damon began stalking the room and it made Elena nervous. "Well, my dear sweet Elena, I know you might be under the impression that life revolves around you, but the truth is – it doesn't. I have business in Georgia."

Elena's brow furrowed. " But why did you bring me? Why didn't you just drop me off at home?"

"Now where is the fun in that?"

A chill swept through her. This was obviously yet another game that Damon was playing with her smack dab in the middle. Again. "So you kidnapped me."

A mocking smile played along Damon's lips. "Kidnapped. That's such a harsh word. I rescued you. That makes it not kidnapping. I'm hurt that you think so little of me."

Elena's phone chose that moment to ring and Damon grabbed it from the bedside table where he had placed it earlier. Looking at the caller ID, he held it up. "Oh look. It's Stefan. Boy, he must be just about frantic by now." He pushed the talk button. "Elena's phone," Damon greeted mockingly. Elena could hear the heated voice on the other end. "Just a moment, I'll see if she is available." He held the phone up for her. "Lover boy would like to talk to you."

Elena shook her head determinedly. "No. I don't want to talk to him."

Damon looked surprised at her reaction and Elena almost missed the hint of concern he showed before schooling his features once more and bringing the phone back to his ear.

"I'm so sorry, Stefan. Elena doesn't wish to talk to you. I sure wouldn't want to be in your shoes. She looks really mad. You must have been a very bad boy." He listened for a moment before heaving a long pained sigh and handing the phone to her. "That brother of mine doesn't' know how to take no for an answer. He's like a pitbull with someones bleeding leg, just doesn't know when to let go. He says he needs to talk to you."

Elena sighed and put the phone to her ear, aware of the way Damon was studying her. Privacy and vampires were two things that didn't go together, especially when that vampire was one Damon Salvatore, so she had litle hope that her conversation wouldn't be eavesdropped on.

"What?" she greeted flatly.

"Elena, are you alright?" the concerned voice of her boyfriend demanded to know.

"If by alright, you mean alive – yes I am alive. If you mean uninjured, then no, I'm not alright."

"Elena, I am so sorry about - "

Elena cut him off, in no mood to discuss _**her. **_"Look, I am not going into that with you right now. I mean it. Is there something else you wanted?"

She heard the deep tortured sigh and had to steel her emotions. She was so not in the mood to deal with this supernatural drama right now.

"Listen, Elena, you're in danger. There is someone after you."

Elena gave a snort of derision. "Stefan, I think that was abundantly clear when a vampire stood in the middle of the road so I could hit him and crash, and then tried to eat me. He's dead though. Damon took care of him."

Stefan sighed again heavily. "I wish I could say that was the end of it, but the truth is – it's not."

She growled in frustration. "Seriously? Stefan, what is going on?"

"All I know is that there is a group of vampires here in town who are trying to open the tomb and release Katherine and the others. They have it in their mind that you have to die in order for that to happen," Stefan informed her stiffly.

"Why?" she asked scathingly. "Because I look like her? Is that it, Stefan?"

Silence met her heated question. "There is more to it than that, Elena," he admitted quietly. "I need you to stay away from Mystic Falls until this situation is taken care. Can you do that for me?"

"Stefan, I have school, what am I going to tell Jenna?" she argued.

"It's just for a few days. I'll take care of Jenna and school, it won't be a problem."

Elena didn't want to ask how it could not be anything but a problem, knowing that she probably wouldn't like the answer. From what it sounded like though – Stefan intended on her staying with Damon rather than protecting her himself. As much as she didn't want to deal with Stefan and his Katherine issues, she couldn't help but feel a little betrayed by that.

"So you want me to stay with Damon? Is that what you're saying?" she asked coldly.

She could hear another pained sigh on the other end of the phone. "Yes," Stefan began, "I'm not strong enough to protect you. He is, as much as I hate to say."

"And how are you so sure I'll be much safer here?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Hey! Standing right here, you know," Damon grumbled, giving her a hard look.

"Elena, he won't hurt you," Stefan promised.

"And how can you be so sure?"

"Because if he was going to hurt you, he'd already have done it."

"That's what you're basing my safety on?" Elena asked incredulously. "Are you kidding me?"

"Oh for Christ's sake," Damon bit out, plucking the phone from Elena's fingers. "Stefan, you better get this situation cleared up asap. Babysitting your human wasn't on my list of things to do today." Once more, Elena could hear the angry retort from the other end of the phone.

"I got it, Stefan. Loud and clear," Damon answered and promptly hit the 'end' button before Stefan could further threaten him with unspeakable acts if Elena was injured in any way.

Damon sent her a toothy grin. "Looks like we're stuck with each other for a while, sweets."

"Great," Elena mumbled, throwing back the comforter. Her bladder was speaking volumes and she had to force herself to her feet so she could get to the bathroom. "Ow," she couldn't help but mutter as every muscle in her body decided to remind her at once that she had recently been in a vehicle rollover followed by a murder attempt.

A bottle of Advil was slapped into her hand and Elena jumped. "Uh, thanks," she uttered, staring dumbly at the bottle. What did a vampire need with Advil?

"I picked it up for you before you woke up," came her answer and Elena stared at him in confusion. He picked her up Advil? What kind of sick, demented monster did something like that?

She didn't have an answer for that.

Looking into the handsome lines that made up his face, Elena thought she saw a glimpse of embarrassment lurking in his vivid blue eyes.

"Really, thank you. I mean it."

He sighed and gave her a slight shove in the direction of the bathroom. "It is just a bottle of Advil. Don't read anything into it. I just didn't want to listen to you moaning about how much pain you were in."

"You know, for one second, you were almost not a jackass."

Rather than the anger she'd expected to follow her comment, Elena was surprised by the bark of laughter.

"Oh Elena, you haven't even begun to see how much of a jackass I really can be."

Flinging a disgusted look in his direction, Elena took the last painful steps into the bathroom and slammed the door in the smirking vampire's face, locking it loudly behind her.

"You do realize that if I really wanted to get in there with you, a lock would be absolutely no hindrance whatsoever?" Damon called from the other side of the door.

"Jackass," she muttered, as she fought with the safety top of the Advil bottle.

She ignored the amused laughter coming from the other room.

TBC

Reviews would be lovely! They really make me write quicker. Seriously. This may become M rating, I havent' decided yet - but I'll let ya know!


	3. Chapter 3

Road Rage

a/n- thank you sooo much for all of the reviews and putting this fic on your favorites and alerts!!! I can't tell you how much that means to me!! Again, unbeta'd so my apologies.

Chapter 3

Elena took her time in the bathroom, trying as hard as she could not to notice what could only be described as a major train wreck staring back at her in the mirror. To say she looked like all shades of crap was putting it mildly. Her normally perfect hair was anything but and she cringed at what the accident and being dragged over broken glass had done to her skin.

Wait a minute...

She took a closer look at the abrasions and lacerations dotting her skin. In truth, they should look a whole lot worse than they were, and there was absolutely no evidence of dried blood caking her skin, when she knew first hand she'd been practically covered in blood from the accident. Her blood soaked clothes were proof of that. There were no signs of any glass lingering in any of her lacerations.

And she could think of only one reason why that was so.

Before she could even help herself, she tipped her head to the side in search of bite marks. Oddly, her neck was unmarred, except for the spot where she'd had a canine dragged across it. Plenty of hand shaped bruises but no bite marks.

Huh. Interesting.

Briefly, Elena entertained the thought of whether Stefan would have been able to keep his fangs to himself if he'd been there instead of Damon.

No! Elena shook her head violently to get the thought out of her mind. She didn't want to entertain thoughts like that because it would only lead to all kinds of badness and second-guessing and she had absolutely no intentions of going down that path. She may be upset with Stefan for keeping stuff from her, but it didn't mean that he deserved to be compared unfavorably to his psychopath brother.

Even if Damon had been acting in a very non-psychopathic manner recently.

UGH!

This line of thinking was getting her nowhere, except to drive her nuts.

Wrenching the bathroom door open, her eyes searched the dimly lit room for the vampire in question. She wasn't surprised to find him in his previous seat in the corner of the room. What did surprise her was the food laid out on the crappy hotel table. Granted it was only vending food junk but still, it was unexpected.

"You got me food?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Well, I did promise St. Stefan that I'd take care of you, right? And since you're human, last time I checked, food is a necessary requirement." He cracked open a bag of chips. "Besides, I didn't get it just for you. I have to admit to having a serious liking for these Cheddar and Sour Cream numbers. Very tasty." The resounding crunch of the chip filled the room. "Delicious." He held the bag up to her. "Want one?"

"No, I don't want one." she snapped, immediately regretting her tone. There was no point in provoking Damon when so far, he hadn't really done anything to her.

Yet.

Damon didn't seem to take offense as he bit down loudly on another chip and leaned back in his char, propping his feet on the table. "Well, you don't know what you are missing." Damon crunched another chip, studying Elena as she stood awkwardly in front of the bathroom door. "Ok, I can hear your brain screaming from here. What is it that you are so desperate to ask me?"

Elena chewed her bottom lip, unsure how wise it was to bring up the line of questioning that was heavily on her mind.

"Come on Elena, it's not like I have all day." He looked thoughtful. "Ok fine, I do have all day, but really. You should try working on your poker face because I hate to break it to you, but you're pretty darn transparent."

Elena sighed heavily. Why was it always so difficult to talk to Damon sometimes? " Ok, fine. What did you do to me while I was unconscious?"

He raised one eyebrow. "What did I _**do **_to you?" A sly grin crossed his face. "Oh Elena, that's such a loaded question. What did you _want _me to do to you?"

Elena felt like screaming. He was always did this to her, never answering a question seriously, always pulling the pseudo-seductive act. What did she expect though? Crossing the room determinedly, Elena didn't pause until she was standing directly in front of the irritating vampire. Balling her fists and propping them on her hips, she gave Damon a forceful look. "You know, I'd really appreciate it if you could cut the crap for once, Damon. I mean it. I need some answers from you."

"Oooh, she's making with the forceful. I like it," he drawled, giving her that smirk that drove her nuts. "You're hot when you're angry."

To say she was exasperated was an understatement. "Please, Damon. Can we please have a serious conversation? I'm more than a little freaked out by everything that has happened and I really want to know what happened when while I was... you know, all with the unconsciousness? Can you just answer my questions honestly with no innuendo or subtext?"

Damon sighed heavily and cracked open the beer he'd stolen earlier. "It's not as fun but...fine. I'll behave."

Elena smiled in relief. "Thank you. I appreciate that. So first... you cleaned all my cuts? You really carry first aid supplies in you car?"

The dreaded smirk was back. "Well, my definition and your definition of first aid may be two completely different things."

"What is your definition?"

"Well, let's just say I didn't need a kit."

She knew it!

"And that means... what exactly?"

"I'll just say this... you taste delicious, my dear, sweet Elena."

She couldn't help but stand and gape at him. Did he seriously just admit that he tasted her blood while she was knocked out? He'd tasted her blood and... what? Left her alive and unscathed, is what. How did he have so much self-restraint when Stefan couldn't typically handle a heavy make-out session if she was on her period? As it was, her clothes were still saturated with her blood and yet Damon didn't seem to have any issues with it.

"What, no indignant ranting?" Damon asked, watching her curiously.

Elena shrugged and took the seat across from him. "Since I obviously lived to tell about it, I guess I can't really see the big." She took a chip from the open bag between them on the table. "Thank you."

He raised an eyebrow at the unexpected thanks. "Any time. And I mean that."

"I'm sure you do."

A comfortable silence filled the room, other than the occasional crunching of chips. Finally, Elena broke the silence.

"So. Who was that vamp who tried to kill me?"

Damon shrugged. "Don't know."

"You haven't seen him around before?"

He sent her an exasperated look. "It's not like some kind of gay-dar., Elena. I can't just look at someone and say 'oh, vampire.' Usually they have to give themselves away and if they have been around for a while, they usually learn a few tricks along the way in how to blend in."

"Why do you think that vamp just stood in the middle of the road like that? Isn't that a bit of overkill? Not to mention painful?"

Damon's smile was nostalgic.. "It may be overkill, but it's fun."

And there it was... another reminder that she was sitting across from a vampire who didn't seem to value human life at all. Except for hers, apparently. She knew she was safe with him – far safer than being back home with Stefan, who had even admitted that very fact. Damon possessed both the physical strength and the restraint to shield her from whatever – or whoever – was out there, that was determined to take her life. And somehow, Elena knew that her safety didn't hinge on the fact that she looked like Katherine, but that was a discussion for another time. She wasn't about to delve into that huge can of worms.

"So what's the thrill then?"

Damon shrugged. "Well, first of all, it makes the car stop. They don't usually just pull over if you flag them down nicely, you know. And then your meal has all kinds of adrenaline pumping through their veins from running someone over, so add that to the fear when you make with the fangy and well, it's just a tasty and satisfying meal."

Elena looked at him in horror, the ease with which he talked about murdering people managing to shock her, even though she knew exactly what he was.

Catching the look on her face, Damon chided, "You asked me to be honest, I was being honest. If you don't want to hear the answers, then don't ask the questions. Got it? Vampire here. I'm not Saint Stefan and I don't want to be."

Elena sighed heavily. He was right. She did ask for honesty and it's not like she didn't know he was a killer.

"Got anymore questions swirling around in that cute little head of yours while you have a full access pass to disclosure?"

Elena thought for a moment, something that was said by the vampire that Damon had saved her from had puzzled her. "What did that vampire mean when he said that Stefan didn't... brand me?"

Damon sighed heavily and shook his head. "Yeah, that was yet another mistake my brother made, in his misguided attempt at trying to act human and ignore what he really is."

"What does it mean though?"

"If he had just bitten you when you two had the wild monkey sex, we wouldn't have to be sitting here at this particular moment. But alas, my brother is a coward."

"But what does it mean?"

"It's a vampire thing. If he'd marked you, it's like an unwritten rule that you are untouchable to other vampires. It's not done too often since it's irreversible and most vampires prefer to eat their humans rather than mark them as their property."

Elena's forehead furrowed in concentration. "So... you marked Caroline?"

Damon's burst of laughter startled her. "Right. Like I'd want to be tied to that ding dong for all eternity? Please."

"But you bit her, I saw the bite marks."

Stefan shook his head mockingly. "Oh sweet Elena, you have so much to learn about being with a vampire. As I said, there is more to it than just biting. Caroline was a happy meal and a means to annoy Stefan – nothing more, nothing less."

"So why didn't Stefan mark me then?" Elena couldn't help but ask.

Damon shrugged. "Probably because he is a pansy ass who couldn't trust himself to taste your blood. You're a free for all right now, sweet cheeks. No vervain necklace and not marked. Good thing you're with yours truly."

"So if Stefan had just marked me, that vampire in the road couldn't have touched me, is that what you are saying?"

"Got it in one."

Elena kept quiet, not wanting to let Damon how disturbing this revelation was. Since meeting Stefan, she'd been placed in harms way time and time again and now to find out that there was a way other than vervain that she could have been protected against the undead element? It hurt. And it made her angry.

"You ok?"

She sighed. "I don't know. Give me a bit and I'll let you know." She made her way to her feet. "I need to take a shower. I... uh, don't suppose you have any extra clothes laying around that I could put on? So not liking the blood bathed look."

"Oh I don't know about that... It definitely holds some appeal," Damon teased. "For a vampire, anyway. But yes, I have some stuff in that duffle bag over there. Help yourself. I'm sure you'll look just fetching wearing my stuff."

Elena didn't raise to the bait, merely crossing the room and procured a clean T-shirt and a pair of sweat pants from the bag that Damon had brought in. Not exactly high fashion, but they would have to do. Anything was better than the state of her current attire. She made her way to the bathroom, her muscles in clear disagreement with the movement. The Advil hadn't kicked in yet and her body was sore from the crash.

Just as she was about to close the bathroom door, Elena whipped around to catch Damon watching her with what could only be described as a concerned look. It rattled her. Before she could even blink, Damon had schooled his features and the look of concern was gone, replaced with his usual cynical stare. It was so convincing, Elena almost wondered if she'd imagined the glimpse of emotion she'd read in his face.

Rather than draw attention to it, Elena merely said, "Damon? Thank you. For everything."

He tipped his head in acknowledgment, but before he could reply back to her, the chained door to their hotel room crashed open with splintering force.

Elena screamed.

Tbc

A/N Yes I am evil. I'm taking liberties with vampire lore here, btw. I have not read the books and I probably won't, so this is based on the show only. Otherwise I would have posted it in the books section :)) Please let me know what you think because seriously, reviews motivate me to update quicker than anything else can!


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n**

**Thank you AGAIN for all of the fantastic reviews you've left me! I'm glad to know that I'm not really 'missing anything' by not reading the books. I guess it's not like True Blood, where reading the books make the show ever better? **

**For the disclaimer I think i've forgotten – I do not own Vampire Diaries and I am making no profit from this fic. :)))**

**Now on to the fic... Oh wait, forgot to mention this is not beta'd and all mistakes are mine, so please feel free to point them ou**t :))

From Chapter 3

_Rather than draw attention to it, Elena merely said, "Damon? Thank you. For everything."_

_He tipped his head in acknowledgment, but before he could reply back to her, the chained door to their hotel room crashed open with splintering force._

_Elena screamed._

Chapter 4

She clutched the door frame as adrenaline sailed through her. The sight of two vampires in full game face breaking down the door and rushing into the room managed to take Elena's terror to a whole new level. She was going to need some serious therapy, after this – she couldn't help but inanely think, watching as Damon positioned himself protectively between the vampires and where she stood in the bathroom doorway.

Without looking back at her, Damon tossed over his shoulder, "Get in the bathroom and lock the door. Do not come out until I call for you, got it?"

Elena didn't bother to respond, merely slamming the door and backing up until the back of her knees hit the tub. Throwing back the shower curtain, Elena found herself crawling into the tub and curling up in an effort to make herself as small as possible - as if she was facing a renegade tornado rather than the reality of what had smashed into their room. She knew it was an exercise in futility but it still managed to make her feel marginally safer.

The crashes coming from the room sent another stab of fear through her. What if Damon didn't win? Oh God, what then? They were in a public building, so no invite was needed. And it was two against one – and for the first time, Elena was truly appreciative of the fact that Damon prided himself on being a cold-blooded killer. If it was Stefan with her, she could pretty much count on the outcome.

Death.

But Damon wasn't Stefan.

And for that, she was truly grateful.

The minutes dragged by as Elena became hypersensitive to every sound coming from behind the closed door. She couldn't help but wonder if the vampires had compelled the night hotel clerk to ignore the sounds of a struggle, because otherwise she was sure she'd hear the sounds of sirens in the distance; the ferocity of the fight taking place not something that could be easily ignored. The motel parking lot had looked pretty empty when Elena had sneaked a peek outside earlier, so she couldn't count on other motel patrons to come to the rescue,.

Not that they would be much help against vampires, of course.

There would be no one to hear her scream - if their attackers made their way through the flimsy bathroom door.

Oh God...

Again, she cursed the fates that placed her in this situation. Elena knew they were after her because of the fact she looked like Katherine – and if Stefan had just been honest with her from the start, this maybe could have been avoided. If nothing else, she wouldn't have been blind sided when she was attacked earlier because of her resemblance to Katherine. What was the deal with her and Katherine? It couldn't be coincidence that they looked so much alike.

Or that she had a supernatural hit out on her because of that resemblance.

Yes, if they got out of this, she would be demanding a few answers from the Salvatore brothers.

An extra loud crash and anguished scream had her jumping, her already rapid heart rate practically doubling.

And then there was silence.

Elena held her breath, her eyes glued to the bathroom door, willing it to remain shut. Several minutes dragged by and she listened intently for any sounds that it was safe to come out.

"_Elena..." _The word was spoken so softly, she almost missed it. "_Elena!_" Even with the near-whisper, she recognized Damon's voice.

Did she dare to hope that it was ok? That her unintentional bodyguard had proven to be the dangerous predator that she had always feared he was?

Slowly, she unfolded her stiff limbs and climbed out of the bathtub, her entire body tense and coiled in the event that it was merely a decoy, that it truly wasn't safe. Ever so slowly, she inched to the bathroom door and carefully unlocked it, almost dreading what she would find on the other side.

It looked like a war zone.

Smashed furniture littered the room and blood had splattered the walls. It was gruesome and Elena found herself unable to move as she attempted to fully process the carnage that was before her. The question whether vampires bled had clearly been answered in full, vivid color.

Damon!

Her eyes flew around the room, widening when they came into contact with the obviously dead vampires that were laying sprawled in an unnatural, bloody heap on the carpet, pieces of what looked like a chair legs sticking out of their chests. She was glad she knew the difference between an injured vamp and a dead one – something she couldn't believe she was appreciating.

Her life was out of control, there was no doubt about it.

"Elena..."

She whipped around to locate the source of the sound and she ran around the side of the bed, coming to a dead stop when she was faced with a bleeding and heavily injured Damon. Blood was pouring out of multiple wounds and his face was contorted in agony. His fingers gripped a wooden stake that was sticking out of his chest, obviously having just missed the heart, embedded in the stomach.

"Oh my God, Damon!" Elena cried, crawling frantically to his side. There was so much blood... "What can I do?"

"Get...it... out...," Damon ground out, his face agonized. He looked so pale... Elena didn't think she'd ever seen anybody look so pale, even for a vampire. "It's coated... in vervain..."

Those vampire assassins had obviously come more than prepared to take care of any vampire bodyguard, Elena thought as she shooed Damon's hands away from the stake and positioned herself to pull it out of his chest. She hated the sight of blood normally, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Damon was in this position because of her – because she had been marked to die. His blood was on her hands.

Literally.

"Are you ready," she whispered, mentally preparing herself for the task. She hated to think she'd be hurting Damon even more but she knew he'd be in more pain if she didn't get it out.

At Damon's curt nod, Elena found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the agonized blue that was glued to her. Before she could second guess herself, she tightened her hands on the stake and pulled with all of her strength. The stake left Damon's chest with a sickening crunch and his reaction was immediate, turning on his side and curling into a fetal position. More blood oozed onto the worn carpet and Elena jumped to her feet and ran into the bathroom for towels. Quickly, she made her way back to the injured vampire, not surprised to see his face in full vampire visage.

"Damon, come on, move your hands, I need to get the bleeding stopped," she ordered him, trying to move his hands away so she could get the towels in place to quell the rapid stream.

He shook his head violently. "Let it bleed for a bit... need to get the vervain out," he bit out, his color turning even more pale, something that Elena didn't even think was possible. "Get the stake. I don't know if there will be anymore of them," he instructed her brokenly.

Elena's breath hitched and she grabbed the stake that she'd just removed, her eyes mesmerized by the blood coating its wooden surface. Even injured, he was still thinking of her. But if there were reinforcements on the way, she was as good as dead, of that much she was certain. Damon was in no shape to fight, the last battle almost having been too much for him.

It was a scary thought.

"What can I do to help you?" she cried, feeling helpless and more than just a little responsible for Damon's current state.

She didn't think he was going to respond to her, the silence held on so long. The only sounds filling the room where the heavy, pained pants of the injured vampire on the floor. Finally, he opened his red rimmed eyes and regarded her.

"I need blood," he said simply.

Without even realizing that she was moving, Elena pulled his head onto her lap and held out her wrist to Damon. How could she deny him? He was injured because of her. And if she didn't do this and more vampires came, they would both be dead. Getting ahold of some hapless human wasn't even a consideration – there was no way Elena's guilt would have accepted that, even if she could have found someone in what seemed to be a fairly empty motel.

No, it had to be her.

If Elena thought that Damon would deny her offering, she'd have been mistaken. Without hesitation, Damon took the proffered limb and sunk his teeth into her wrist. A pained hiss escaped her, the tender skin of her wrist rebelling against the sudden attack, but Elena had to admit that it didn't hurt as much as it could have. Even in his damaged state, he'd taken care to not rip the skin open in his effort to taste her blood.

It was a different kind of feeling, this sitting on the floor while a vampire fed from her. "Don't kill me ok? That's all I ask," she whispered to him, keeping a close eye as he pulled the blood from her body into his own. His replying nod reassured her that he was at least aware enough to agree to not take her life.

As she watched him, she couldn't help but think that the whole blood suckage thing felt kind of... good, if she was honest with herself for just a moment. Intimate. A random throught struck her and Elena pondered what would have happened if it had been Stefan with her rather than Damon.

She'd be dead, for one thing. Even Stefan had admitted he couldn't protect her like Damon.

Stefan probably would have fought using her blood to heal, even if it meant potentially sacrificing them both. While she admired that type of restraint, she also was aware that he probably wouldn't have been strong enough to survive the brutal attack to begin with. As it was, Damon had barely survived. How he'd managed to stay conscious and kill the two vamps after being stabbed repeatedly with a vervain stake was nothing short of a mystery.

Her head begin feeling fuzzy and her limbs became heavy and Elena realized she was nearing the end of safe bloodletting; her body trying frantically to catch up with the sudden blood loss. Before she could tell Damon to stop, she felt the sting of his fangs leaving her wrist, his tongue sliding over the lacerations left behind and the stinging subsided.

Dizziness pummeled her and before she could even form the words to ask if he was alright, her vision began fading at the edges as she fought to stay awake. It was a losing battle however, too much had happened to her body for it to remain in her control. Elena started falling over and was barely aware when strong arms painfully scooped her up and she was thrown on the bed, the heavy weight of Damon falling to land beside her on the oversized bed.

She had faded into oblivion when those same strong arms wrapped around and she was drawn against a hard chest before its owner also slipped into the dark oblivion of unconsciousness.

And they slept.

Tbc

**Ok hope not too bad of a cliffy!**


	5. Chapter 5

a/n – Thank you so much for the fantastic reviews on this fic! Also thank you to sapphirerosha110, IkeaGoddess and VampireExpert101 for the contributions to this chapter :)

Road Rage 5

Elena's head was pounding as she once again swam to awareness and she couldn't prevent the low groan that accompanied her wakening, not wanting to open her eyes. Adrenaline flooded her as the most recent events shoved their way into her thoughts and her eyelids pried themselves apart of their own accord. She took a moment to process her surroundings, her heart pounding as she looked around.

She was in a car.

She was sprawled out on what was obviously the front seat, her cheek resting against a denim clad, muscular thigh. '_Please let it be Damon,' _she thought to herself frantically, gathering the nerve to lift her head to identify the owner of the strong limb that had acted as her impromptu pillow.

A sigh of relief left her lungs and slid past her lips at the sight of the vampire who had been designated her bodyguard, rather than a vampiric stranger whose sole intent was putting an end to her life for some cryptic reason that she had yet to learn.

Never before would Elena have thought that seeing Damon's intense blue eyes focused in her direction would bring about such a feeling of profound comfort and warmth. It seemed like a life time ago that her typical response was fear usually followed by irritation when in his presence – yet now he represented safety coupled with an intense emotion that she didn't dare dwell on too closely.

Chemistry.

It was there, bubbling just under the surface – as it had always been from the moment she'd first laid eyes on Stefan's brother, she had just refused to tap into it. She and Damon had come a long way in a very short time. She couldn't help but wonder what the future held...

And that was a train of thought that Elena had no intentions of following at this particular moment - too much was still at stake for her to even consider her changing feelings towards this vampire who had managed to save her life not once, but twice in less than twenty-four hours.

That was a lot to process. She owed him so much, there was little doubt of that.

"Morning," Damon drawled easily, putting an end to her internal rambling. He cast a quick concerned glance her way. "Can you sit up?"

Elena nodded and carefully pushed herself up, pausing only when her head swam with the position change. "Ugh, I'm dizzy," she complained, pressing a hand to her temple.

"Yeah, head trauma and blood loss will do that to you," Damon commented, reaching into a bag on the floor by her feet. He withdrew a bottle and handed it to Elena. "Here, this should help."

Elena stared at the bottle of orange juice, her brow furrowing slightly. Once again, Damon's thoughtfulness managed to throw her off guard.

"Just drink it," Damon ordered, as if he was privy to her thoughts.

Elena complied and drank the bottle of juice in its entirety, the sugar and fluid going to work in her system almost immediately. By the time she finished, she felt marginally improved and not quite as out of it.

"Feel better?"

Elena nodded, studying the vampire behind the wheel. "Are you... ok? You're up to driving and everything?"

"Oh, I'm just peachy." he tossed her a lopsided smile and she returned it with a small one of her own.

"Where are we going?" she finally asked, taking note of the lush scenery outside her window.

He sent a cynical smile in her direction. "Ah, we're learning, aren't we? You didn't ask where we were, but where we're going. Good girl." He reached over to turn the radio on. "We're headed to Florida."

"Oh."

"Oh? That's it? That's all you have? Just...oh? Nothing about kidnapping and babbling on about how you can't go to Florida?"

Elena rolled her eyes, then regretted the action as her head felt like it was splitting apart. She sighed heavily. "Alright fine. Why are we headed to Florida?"

"Why, I'm so glad you asked. Lots of sunshine in Florida. In case you hadn't noticed, most vampires don't like the sun. They usually try to avoid it, if at all possible."

Elena nodded. "Yeah, I've noticed that." She was quiet for a moment. "So you're trying to put some distance between us and whoever is after me?"

"Precisely, my luscious Elena."

She ignored his 'luscious' comment and reached over to to adjust the air conditioning so it wouldn't keep hitting her in the eyes. "So...what exactly happened last night?"

Damon gave her a look. "Really? You need to ask that?"

"Well, yeah. My memory isn't as clear as it should be. I seem to have this bad habit of passing out lately."

"That's what happens when you're just a little, fragile human," he remarked, a slight smile playing along his lips. "Some badass vamps tried to kill you – again, I might add. I saved the day, of course, and you thanked me by letting me drink from you. You're absolutely delicious, I will have you know, as the main course rather than the appetizer I got earlier."

Elena knew she should be slightly bothered by his casual reference to drinking her blood, but in light of everything else that had happened to her since she left Stefan's bed the night before, she just couldn't spare any outrage. Beside the fact that she knew she had freely offered her blood to him, that much she did remember. It hadn't even given her pause, when he'd told her needed blood. She had been all about the life saving, even if it had been putting her own life at risk.

"Then what happened after I passed out?"

Damon shrugged. "Well, I wasn't feeling my best either so I pretty much passed out right after you and we spooned all night. It was quite a lovely way to wake up, I'll have you know. Your body pressed against mine... Pity I couldn't get you to wake up, we might have had some fun before I packed us up and we hit the road."

Again, she ignored his blatant flirting, hoping that Damon didn't pick up on the slight increase in her heart-rate as her mind traitorously considered what type of 'fun' they could have had if she hadn't been so out of it.

_'Bad thoughts, Elena. Focus,' _she told herself, giving herself a mental slap. Properly chagrined, she finally asked Damon, "So what is the plan then?"

"No plan, really. Just hoping to stay one step ahead of anything that has it in their head to knock you off."

Elena chewed her lip as she contemplated the situation she was currently in. "But why does somebody want me dead? Do you even know?"

Damon shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. "I had a little chat with Sir Stefan the Boring this morning and informed him of the newest attempt on your life. He and your little witchie friend are researching things." He was silent for a moment. "It has something to do with Katherine."

Elena snorted. "Well yeah, I kind of gathered that already. Do you know what?"

Damon sighed heavily. "Apparently, someone else wants to rescue Katherine and the other tomb vamps and that someone has it in their head that Katherine cannot be freed if her doppleganger exists in the same space."

Elena's lips turned down at the corners as she pondered what Damon had just revealed. "But that makes no sense. What do I have do with Katherine?"

"And that is the million dollar question. I usually know all the answers, however, this one eludes me. I only know your resemblance is uncanny and there are vampires out there who don't like it."

Elena's head was beginning to pound as she contemplated the bombshell that Damon had just dropped. In order for Katherine to be freed, she must die? It made no sense. And yet...

"Damon?"

"Hmm?"

She took a deep breath while considering how to word her next question. "Why are you helping me then?"

"What kind of a question is that?" His voice was colored with irritation. "I thought we'd already covered that."

"Yes, but... what if it is true? What if I have to die in order for Katherine to be freed?"

The scowl on Damon's face blackened and Elena was glad he was keeping his attention focused on the road and not on her. She found herself holding her breath as she waited for his response.

"What exactly are you trying to ask me?" he growled.

"I'm asking you why you are helping keep me alive if it might mean you won't get Katherine back? Why aren't you just killing me yourself?"

The swiftness that Damon had the car swerved and parked on the side of the road was impressive, although it didn't help Elena's pounding head. Damon turned to her and she found herself flinching at the intensity in his eyes.

"I'm only going to say this once and if you ever get me to repeat it, I will deny ever saying it and rip your throat out, Elena. I swear to God. But...you're worth saving, ok?"

Elena found her eyes filling with unwanted tears and she tried frantically to blink them away. "But... I don't understand. Everything you've done until now has been in an effort to get Katherine back. I'm sure even your original trip to Georgia was related to getting her back. Now you find out that I'm possibly standing in the way of that. How can you even stand to help me, if it means not getting Katherine back?"

Damon's scowl deepened. "Are you actually asking me if I'm choosing you over Katherine?" he ground out, the fury in his gaze scorching her.

Elena slowly nodded, her heart pounding as she awaited his answer.

Rather than giving her a satisfying reply, however, Damon merely sent her one last black look and threw the car into drive and accelerated quickly; the car fishtailing as it made its way back onto the desolate stretch of road. "We'll be in Florida in a few hours. You should probably eat something and get some more sleep," he finally said and Elena knew that was as close as she was going to get as an answer.

But it spoke volumes.

Damon handed her a granola bar and while her stomach wasn't feeling the most cooperative , she took it gratefully.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Elena touched his arm and he glanced at her with a questioning look in his eyes.

"No, I mean... thank you," she said meaningfully.

Damon merely nodded and shrugged his arm away, returning his attention to the road, clearly not wiling to pursue the line of conversation any further.

And Elena was left alone with her thoughts, which were running rampant.

Damon had chosen to help her over saving Katherine and she couldn't help but wonder if Stefan would have made the same decision. Everything she had experienced with Stefan was now suspect – how could she truly know what his feelings were? It didn't take a genius to figure out that Stefan's initial attraction to her was due to her uncanny resemblance to Katherine, and he'd kept that little tidbit from her. He'd even _slept _with her under false pretenses and Elena honestly didn't know if she could move past that.

And if she was honest with herself, she didn't know if she really wanted to.

TBC

Thanks for reading!


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